Albright House (Fort Madison, Iowa)

The Albright House, also known as the William and James Albright Duplex and the Betsy Ross House, is a historic building located in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1] In 2014, it was included as a contributing property in the Park-to-Park Residential Historic District.[2]

Albright House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
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Location	716-718 Ave. F Fort Madison, Iowa
Coordinates	40°37′54″N 91°18′38″W
Area	Less than one acre
Built	1858
Built by	Jacob Albright, William Albright
Architect	Unknown
Architectural style	Italianate
Part of	Park-to-Park Residential Historic District (ID14001069)
NRHP reference No.	78001233[1]
Added to NRHP	July 24, 1978

The duplex was built in 1858 by brothers Jacob and William Albright, who had moved to Fort Madison in 1839 from Philadelphia. They patterned their house after the design of a double Italianate residence found in Samuel Sloan's The Model Architect (1852).[3] The three-story brick house follows a cross-shaped plan. The watertable, lintels and window sills are all stone. It has a wide, overhanging cornice that is decorated with dentils and paired brackets with pendants. The entrance porch for each unit was built into the front angles of the structure. The house was known locally as the Betsy Ross House because Jacob Albright was married to Rachel Wilson, a granddaughter of Betsy Ross.[3]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Park-to-Park Residential Historic District". City of Fort Madison. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
3. Aileen Gates Mustell. "Albright House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-12-16. with photos